Lovvers

U.K. newcomers Lovvers declared their concise influences as "Germs. Wipers. SST." on their MySpace page. Their sonic onslaught clearly draws its raw materials from the opening decade of stateside punk, yet the distinctive fusion of sloppiness and fury is what distinguishes the group. Shaun Hencher handled vocals, Henry Withers played guitar, Michael Drake covered bass, and Stephen Rose sat behind the drums; the quartet came together in Nottingham during 2006 and performed their first show publicly just fourteen days after the initial rehearsal. Eager to appear in any venue at any moment, they accumulated more than 200 concerts across their opening two years, playing clubs throughout the U.K. and Europe while supporting Times New Viking, the Black Lips, Fucked Up, Foals, No Age, and the Butthole Surfers. Following a pair of self-released CD-R recordings, the band aligned with sympathetic imprint Jonson Family Records, which put out three Lovvers 7" EPs across 2007. Positive press notices mixed with pointed detractors—including a reader letter published in the long-standing hard-rock periodical Kerrang! that labeled their concerts “highly offensive”—elevated the outfit’s profile enough to attract Wichita Recordings, the established indie concern that issued the seven-song 12"/CD Think during autumn 2008.